Gun Control: The Seventh Paradox

Dr. Michael S. Brown

February 27, 2000

Few
public policy discussions have become so bitter and divisive as the
endless debate over guns. None is so burdened with contradictions and
misinformation. The dictionary defines a paradox as, "something or
someone with seemingly contradictory qualities or phases." Here are
seven paradoxes that have developed during the course of this conflict:

1. Women are usually at a physical disadvantage when
confronted by a male attacker and violence against women has been a
major societal issue. Some women know that a firearm combined with
training is a true equalizer. They have taken steps to educate
themselves and safely provide for their own security. However, many
women reject this opportunity. They seem to accept the concept that
guns are evil and promote violence. Thus, those who could
benefit most from gun ownership are least likely to own one.

2. Police chiefs are famous for blaming crime on
"guns flooding the streets", and generally support more gun control.
However, rank and file police officers are overwhelmingly opposed to
stricter laws. Why the disagreement? Most police chiefs are
political appointees selected by the Mayor. Most Mayors favor stricter
gun laws and would be unlikely to choose or keep a chief who disagreed.
Officers who work on the streets are much more practical. They know
they can't be everywhere at once and are usually limited to processing
crimes after they have occurred. Unlike the chiefs who are surrounded
by tight security and influential people, officers who work on the
streets know all too well what the world is like for the rest of us.

3. Celebrities and politicians who promote gun
control are the ones who don't need to protect themselves.
They have access to the best bodyguards that money can buy. Even if the
strictest imaginable gun laws are enacted, armed men will still protect
them.

4. As a result of state laws passed in recent
decades, citizens in 31 states are now entitled to concealed weapons
permits if they have a clean record and fulfill various requirements.
Data gained from this change has provided important new knowledge for
gun law discussions. To the great surprise of anti-gun groups, it turns
out that permit holders are far less violent than the general
population. Even more significant is the fact that crime decreased in
the areas where permits were made available. As one
researcher put it, "more guns, less crime".

5. Criminals
victimize minorities at a much higher rate than the general population,
yet many gun control efforts such as buy-backs and neighborhood sweeps
of low income areas are aimed at reducing gun ownership by minorities.
This paradox has operated as long as human history. Immigrants,
political dissenters and ethnic minorities have been disarmed many
times by governments seeking to bring them under tighter control. They
are always told that it’s for their own good.

6.
The position that gun issues have assumed in the political spectrum is
very interesting. Liberals, who defend the right of a woman
to have an abortion, would generally deny her the use of a firearm to
protect herself and her family. Conservatives, who typically feel that
the government should allow people to make their own important
decisions, want more government control of personal reproductive
choices. Since these are both matters of life and death, one
might expect more consistency, but somehow the positions have become
reversed.

7. The seventh paradox is the most
profound. The conventional wisdom is wrong. Gun control simply does not
work as crime control. Case after case shows that when cities, states
and nations implement gun control, crime goes up. Washington, Chicago,
New York, Australia, Britain; the list is long and getting longer as
the seductive appeal of gun control spreads. Criminologists explain
that disarming the law-abiding population makes life easier
for criminals who are going to ignore the law anyway.

No other major political issue is so plagued by paradoxes.
They arise from a variety of sources that could serve as a list of
societal ailments; racism, sexism, classism, political corruption,
excessive media influence, fear of the unknown and honest disagreement.

Whichever side you choose to support, it is fascinating to
observe the debate.

Dr. Michael S. Brown is an
optometrist in Vancouver, WA who moderates a
large email list for discussion of gun issues in Washington State.